Application forms for the Haj 2013 were issued this morning by Minister for Minorities Welfare, Wakf and Urdu Academy Syed Mohammed Ahmadullah at Haj House Nampally.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahmadullah said the State government and the State Haj Committee would provide all facilities to the Haj pilgrims of the State. He said this year the Haj Committee of India has made it mandatory for all the Muslims to perform Haj only once in a life time and as per that decision the forms would be accepted from those persons who did not perform Haj earlier.
The applications of those aged 70 and above, who have been filing Haj applications for the last three years, would be automatically selected for Haj 2013, he added.
The minister said the new Haj House would be constructed near Shamsabad Airport very soon for the smooth departure of Hajis of Hyderabad. He said all the applicants should have a valid passport issued on or before March 20, 2013 which should be valid at least till that date. The applicants under reserved categories should submit their original passports along with the application forms.
He said this year the Ministry of External Affairs has directed to restrict the number of pilgrimages to a Haj applicant through Haj Committee of India to once in a life time as against the existing once five years. Therefore, all the applicants should submit an affidavit stating that they have not performed Haj earlier through the Haj Committee of India. Only two categories i.e. Green and Azeezia will be available to the pilgrims, the Minister added.
State Haj Committee Chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed, who presided over the meeting, said Haj Application Forms will be available free of cost between 10 am and 3 pm on all working days and can be submitted on or before March 20. He said filled-in applications along with documents such as copies of passports, address proof, an affidavit, SBI bank pay-in slip of Rs 300 per pilgrim and two photographs besides a cancelled blank cheque to ascertain IFS Code and MICR Code of the bank where the applicant has his account, should be submitted in the office of the AP State Haj Committee.
Haj Committee members Syed Raza Hussain Azad, Mahmood Hussain Engineer, Shaik Shareef, Mohammed Baig and Malika Begum and AEO Irfan Shareef were present.
–Agencies